2 Men Sentenced for Roles in 2023 Stabbing Death in Bemidji

Robert Keezer (left) and James Burnette were sentenced to 15 years in prison and over 14-and-a-half months in prison, respectively, for their roles in the stabbing death of an 18-year-old Bemidji man in 2023. (Credit: Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office)

Two men have been sentenced to prison for their role in the fatal stabbing of an 18-year-old man in Bemidji in June of 2023.

Robert Keezer, James Burnette, and Daniel Keezer admitted in court to luring the victim, Andrew Fisher, into a house with the intent to rob him. Earlier this month, Daniel Keezer pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Robert Keezer and Burnette initially pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree intentional murder, but on Tuesday the charges were amended to first-degree aggravated robbery. Both men took plea agreements, where Robert Keezer was sentenced to 15 years in prison and Burnette to over 14-and-a-half years in prison.

The sentences are nearly double what the eight-year state sentencing guidelines call for, because the judge said this case was not just a typical aggravated robbery as it ended in the death of a young man.